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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hand — help
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. face — to point toward
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. face — to confront
  14. lean — thin
  15. hand — in cards
  16. court — of a king
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com